Ancient gateway on the hill, Mandhata.

Photograph of an ancient gateway on the hill from Mandhata taken by Henry Cousens between 1892 and 1894. Mandhata is partially built on the banks of, and partially on an island in the Narmada river. The town is situated in the southern part of modern day Madhya Pradesh, and is a celebrated site of pilgrimage for followers of Shiva. The religious importance of the town stems from the presence of the Omkareshvara temple, which houses one of the twelve most important lingas in India. The hills around the town are home to a large number of much older, and now ruined, temples, fortifications and dwellings. The Siddhsesvara or Siddhanatha temple is the most notable of these, as, it is built to an unusual, cross shaped plan and is the largest of the older temples. The gate pictured here is also situated in the hills, in close proximity to the temple, and bears affinities with gateways at Dabhoi in Gujurat. It would have been one of the access points to the extensive system of fortifications that covered the hill. It is now in a ruinous condition.